Knee pad for infants



Filed Nov. 16, 1951 Chrifine Musgrave I N V EN TOR.

B Y flow Attorney;

Patented Sept. 1 195 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNEE PAD FOR INFANTS Christine Musgrave, St. Charles, Mo.

Application November 16, 1951, Serial No. 256,717

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a novelly constructed highly practical and satisfactory knee pad which is expressly constructed to be worn by an infant during his crawling and toddling days of existence, a pad which is aptly suitable to serve the respective requirements and needs of the mother and infant alike.

One object of this invention is to structurally, functionally and otherwise improve upon knee pad constructions, particularly the type of pad which lends itself admirably well ior use by infants, the same being unique in that it is particularly well adapted for summer use when the infant is clothed merely in a diaper, this because the pad is provided with special fastening means, one part of which is attachable to the diaper and with other portions thereof particularly well adapted to be strapped about the legs and hinder portions of the infant.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pad which is characterized by a single supporter which takes the form of an elastic strap, the latter being secured at its rearward end to the midportion of the transverse forward end of the pad and being provided on its free end with a readily attachable and detachable safety pin, this arrangement being desirable in that it provides for secure maintenance of the pad at the forward end and anchors it in such a way that freedom of play is had, whereby to avoid any discomfort whatsoever to the infant wearer.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide a knee pad having the aforementioned single supporter at its forward end and provided with an elongated draw tape, said draw tape having its intermediate and end portions slidably and detachably connectible with marginal portions of the pad, this through the medium of a plurality of systematically and orderly arranged attaching loops, the over-all arrangement being such that the free terminal ends of the tape are available to be tied together by way of a conveniently accessible bowknot.

Another general object of the invention is to provide an infants knee pad which prolongs the usefulness of garments such as overalls, coveralls, rompers and the like, one which prevents scraping and scufiing and affords that protection which is needed to offset irritation from frictional contact with uncongenial floor and other surfaces, a pad which minimizes soiling of garments worn and safeguards the infant by preventing grime, grit and dirt from accumulating on the skin.

Then, too, novelty is predicated on a pad having the aforementioned specific structural features wherein the safety pin is detachable, the draw tape is detachable and the pad itself is made of flexible fabric and is therefore launderable and may be kept spic and span in keeping with the requirements of the mother.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a pair of knee pads and the manner in which they are worn by an infant at the time the infant is attired only with a diaper.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the pad removed from the infant and showing the manner of lacing appearing in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view based on Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a plan view similar to Figure 2 and showing a different style of lacing employed when the pad is worn in conjunction with a pair of overalls.

Figure 5 is a perspective view similar to Figure 3 showing the manner of using the pad in conjunction with the stated overalls.

Both forms of use involves the same construction and the only difference, as evidenced from Figures 2 and 4, is in the manner or mode of lacing the draw tape means. For this reason, the same numerals are used throughout all of the views.

Reference is had first to Figure 2, wherein it will be seen that the pad 6 is of general rectangular form, the same having a suitably quilted cotton body or pad proper at 8. This is marginally bound with a suitable cotton bias tape it), the arrangement providing a forward transverse edge portion l2, rearward transverse edge portion I l and opposed parallel longitudinal side portions [6-43. The single supporter l8 takes the form of an elastic strap 20 of appropriate length, the rearward end of the latter being attached at 22 to the midportion of the forward edge portion [2. The free end of the strap is provided with an appropriate terminal 24 having hooks or equivalent elements 26 to which the safety pin 28 is detachably connected.

The draw tape means is denoted as a unit by the numeral 30 and is of appropriate length and includes an intermediate portion 32, end portions 34 and. 36 and terminal portions 38-38. The means for detachably and slidably adjoining the tape means to the pad comprises a first pair of loops 4040 and these are connected with the forward corner portions of the pad. They are in opposed relation and positioned to provide the necessary takeup and pull tension provided by the draw tape. A second pair of opposed loops 4242 are joined to the rear corner portions and a third pair of opposed loops 44-44 are likewise joined to the same rear corner portions and are spaced rearwardly from the loops 42. This arrangement allows the intermediate portion 32 to be laced or trained first through the loops 40-40, then through the loops 42-1-42 and finally through the remaining loops 44-44. When using the pad in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 3, the end portions of the tape are crisscrossed at 46 and again criss-crossed at 48'. This permits the tape to be properly harnessed over the hinder portions of the anatomy of the wearer and to be properly drawn about the legs and adjacent to the ankle to cause the pad to conformingly assume the approximate wearing position shown in Figures 1 and 3.

The only difierence in the arrangement shovn in Figures 4 and is in the manner of lacing the tape in respect to the various loops. Here, that is in Figure 4, the end portions of the tape are criss-crossed as at 50 between the loops 43-46% and 4242. They are again criss-crossed at 52 to permit the reaches. or the end portions of the draw tape to be more securely bound and tied about the overalls or similar garment shown in Figure 5. The overalls are denoted by the numeral 54 in Figure 5 and the diaper by the numeral 56 in Figures 1 and 3.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice provided no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is: a

1. An infants knee pad construction comprising a launderable cloth pad of general rectangular form, supporter means carried by said pad for detachably fastening said pad to a garment worn by the wearer of the pad, a first pair of opposed loops carried by the forward corners of the pad, a second pair of opposed loops carried by the rearward corners of said pad, a third pair of opposed loops carried by the last named corners and spaced rearwardly from said second pair of loops, and an elongated draw tape having its intermediate portion laced slidably through said first pair of opposed loops and the end portions laced respectively through said second and third pairs of opposed loops with its terminal portions available for connection with each other.

2. The structure specified in claim 1, wherein said supporter means comprises a single elongated elastic strap attached at one end to the midportion of the forward marginal edge of said pad, the other end of said strap being free and provided with a safety pin.

3. For use by a crawling infant, a readily applicable and removable knee pad construction comprising a flexible pad adapted to conformably cover the knee of an infant, elastic means carried by the forward end of said pad whereby the latter may be detachably secured to a diaper or other garment worn by the infant, a detachable drawstring in the form of an elongated tape having free end portions, means carried by the marginal edges of said pad for slidably adjoining said drawstring to said pad. said means embodying a plurality of tape loops carried by predetermined portions of said marginal edges.

4. The structure specified in claim 3, wherein said padis of general rectangular form and wherein said loops are arranged in pairs, there being one pair of loops individually attached to the respective forward corner portions of said pair and at least one pair individually attached to the respective rearward corner portions of said pad.

CHRISTINE MUSGRAVE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 619,665 Burt Feb. 14, 1899 1,308,109 Peugh July 1, 1919 2,311,483 Smith Feb. 16, 1943 

